Near the centre of Nanyuki, the 265 prisoners of the town's jail are busy making clothes, building furniture, and now, thanks to an initiative sponsored by the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), they are farming their own crops.

In a project developed by SFSA in conjunction with the prison's policy of rehabilitating prisoners through education and reintegration with their communities, prisoners and wardens have been taught how to start up and manage a farm. Fruit and vegetables are grown across 40 acres of open land and in a greenhouse the inmates built and now manage under supervision. The produce is then cooked and consumed by the inmates, as well as being sold outside the prison.

Seedlings for fruit trees are also sold, encouraging a more co-operative relationship between ex-offenders and the local community. "Initially there was a hostile reception towards ex‑offenders," explains Samuel Kiprop, deputy officer in charge of the prison, "so now we have what we call an open door policy, whereby the public can come and partner with us."

The farm manager, Mr Kanyete, believes the project solves one of the bigger problems agriculturalists have in Kenya. "People have their resources, their space, their land, but the knowledge of introducing a business venture like this, maybe they don't have that." Thanks to the training they have received, however, the prisoners will possess the knowledge that so many others are lacking in order to make the most of their land once they have returned home.